[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 17, 2020 at 5:46 pm #10222

Back to the Conejos

My last day in Wyoming was spent getting everything ready for the 800+ mile trip back to Mogote Campground. The truck needed service and a through cleaning inside and out. After that laundry duty. Then pay my bill at the Hi Country Inn, say goodbye to Barry an his wife, inventory everything and pack it up.

Then I was up early the following morning and on the road before 8am.

Heading south again. This time I would be taking the interstate route. This is a longer but faster route.

Much of Wyoming is high plains and very dry……
IH 80 headed west across the Great Basin to Cheyenne, then turn south on IH 25 through Denver, and turning west again at Walsenburg on Hwy 160. Across North La Veta Pass, down the Sangre De Cristo Creek Basin. Turn south at Alamosa on 285…..

It’s getting dark. I hoped to be there by now. Turn west at Antonito on Hwy 17 and Finally Mogote Campground.

There at the same #15 camping spot was Mike. He had gone to the South Platte below 11 Mile, but found it to be extremely crowded. So after a few days he returned to the Conejos. A roaring fire was set and Mike was stretched out in his infinite chair in it’s flickering light.
I walked over to greet him.
“How you doing?”
“I’m drunk!”
Sure enough there was a half empty tequila bottle sitting next to him.
I started blabbing away about Wyoming and asking questions about how the fishing had been since I left. I got more one word answers than I expected.
I asked how drunk are You?
He answered “Too Drunk” to answer questions.
I told him he needed to drink some Gatorade and take a few aspirin before he went to sleep.
I went and got him some from my truck. He started to drink the Gatorade and then said, I’m going to be sick.
Well it was a rough night for Mike.

I was first up in the morning and started some coffee. I ate some breakfast while Mike slept away. I knew he was going to not be at his best today. So I relaxed and watched the sun climb into the sky. It was probably after 10 before the bear came out of his hibernation. I shoved a cup of coffee into his hand. I asked how bad he felt. He responded there has never been a worse hangover. I said he needed more Gatorade and some Tylenol to get through the morning. He said sure and then threwup again. He said he had made a margarita waiting for me to arrive last night. Then he made a second, but was running low on lime juice. He made a third, but didn’t know how much he drank before he knocked it over, so he made a fourth and he almost finished that one too. Conclusion,… Mike was not going to be able to fish today.

That’s no problem for me. Mike really only wanted to fish the Conejos. Myself I wanted to fish it all. There were plenty of smaller creeks around here that I have been wanting to fish. Today I could take my pick. I decided on fishing Los Pinos in it’s head waters above Trujilio Meadows Reservoir. I have fished it once before many years ago. I knew there was potential there and had not really had a chance to figure it out because of the rain that day.

So after making sure Mike didn’t need any real medical help, I was off headed west over La Manga Pass.
I turned off on FR 118 and drove up and over the ridge and then down to just above the reservoir.

It’s a nice wide open meadow. Some day when I have a 4X4 I’m going to drive up higher and get to the Rio Grande Cutthroat water above the falls. There is a creek crossing up there I have seen and I wasn’t going to risk it in the 2wd Escape. I pulled out my Sage 4711 LL. Now this place does see a fair amount of anglers. The fish here don’t tolerate splashing or shadows in the creek. So they require a careful approach or they’ll spook.

I started off with a #16 Chubby, but they didn’t want it. So I tied on a March Brown and a Rainbow pulled it under right away.

This little guy confirmed what I thought and expected here. Last time I was here I only caught smallish Rainbows. I knew there was the possibility of some Browns and Cutthroats that might be caught here. Maybe I’d find them today.

And another strike….

Well it’s bigger, but still only about 11-12″.

It looks real good !!!

This little creek meanders around creating nice sweeping bends, undercut banks, and deeper pools.
Soon another fish rose and the LL was sporting a good bend…..

Well there you go, a nice Brown Trout…..

This is better than I hoped…..

Here is a 15-16″ Brown. This day is already shaping up and as bad as it might sound, I’m happy Mike couldn’t fish because I wouldn’t be here and fishing this meadow. And I love fishing these small waters. I wish I could convince Mike, but he is so into chasing Large Trout. Even if it means catching just a few or getting skunked. Myself I want to catch a good number of fish per day. Big fish are a bonus, but not required. I’m just happy with them pulling my drys under. If I have any bias it’s what species I want to catch. And anyone who knows me knows the order is: Cutthroats first, Browns second, Rainbows third, and Brookies fourth.

Let’s keep going and see what the day has in store…..

Another good Brown…..

Like a lot of small waters after catching fish in a specific run, the rest of the water is usually blown.
So keep moving and covering water…..

A dark Brown…..

And the exception to the rule…..

A little guy out of the same stretch.

I am telling you this place is SWEET !….

And most of these fish are nice sized Browns 12-16″…..

And to think I can rarely get Mike to fish water like this, Boy is he missing out !!!!!

I would have thought I would be catching more of a mix of different species…..

But not today…..

Other than those first 2 Rainbows, all the other I caught Trout would be Browns…..

The higher up the valley I went, the tighter the creek got…..

I also had another break off…..

As the afternoon wore on some really small mayflys started to hatch….

These things were probably a Pseudocloeon and tiny. tiny, tiny…..

This was about as far as I could go today….

And one last Brown to hand…..

Time to go…..

A nice stretch of the legs back across the meadow…..

Back at our campsite, Mike was feeling better.
He could actually talk now. Tomorrow he was going to drive to Colorado Springs to pick up Nick who was flying in.
I set up my tent. It’s a Kelty backpacking tent and weighs 4lb 4oz with frame and stakes. If you ditch the stakes it’s 3lbs 10oz. I set it up using the old torn orange tarp for ground protection.

It’s small and cozy inside…..

We ate dinner sans the usual bottle of red wine. I showed him a few pictures from today and the Browns I caught. He was surprised. Mike admitted he was too old to be drinking like that. I told him we’re both too old to be drinking like that!

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 14, 2020 at 9:33 pm #10220

Another good chance to raise the lake is coming Friday afternoon and throughout Saturday. Our trigger date for the Flow Agreement is May 15th and anytime on or after that date the lake hits pool 909’msl, we get sustaining summer flows for our Trout. So…..

Tom tom tom tom…..

Tom tom tom tom…..

Tom tom tom tom…..

Jimbo

 

 

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 13, 2020 at 1:26 pm #10218

As of yesterday at 2pm 13.1″ of rain fell just south of the lake. It hasn’t been updated since then and another heavy band of rain fell around 6pm.

Again most of the heavy stuff fell in a way that it didn’t help the Lake and still it’s up 3/4′. Not bad. More rain is predicted to fall over the entire Guadalupe watershed tomorrow morning and more heavy rains are predicted for Friday night and Saturday.

The trigger date is May 15th and the lake level must be 909’msl or above for us to get sustaining summer flows. So……

Tom tom tom tom…..

Tom tom tom tom…..

Tom tom tom tom…..

Jimbo

 

 

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 10, 2020 at 5:44 pm #10207

Farewell Wyoming

I have become very fond of Afton Wyoming. I have been coming here for about 10 years and the water I have found here and the fish that live in them is something that you can’t find just anywhere. Even with their decline, because of the previous years of drought, there is still fishing found here that I would drive and will continue to drive to experience. With this years’ rains it will get better in future seasons.

This will be my last day to fish here. And I am waning nostalgic. For a person who seeks out Cutthroat Trout, this place certainly offers tons of options. I wish I had more time to explore more of Wyoming, especially the northwest outside of Yellowstone National Park. Maybe next summer.

I would be taking a familiar route,…. North to Alpine….

Then up FR 10138 and the Greys River Valley……

Crossing the river itself…..

Sheep Creek…..

There are many creeks here flowing into the Greys. I have not fished any except a little of Sheeps Creek. After talking to some people and doing some spying on Google Maps, I definitely need to spend a few days exploring some of the more promising ones. Maybe I’ll talk Mike into coming up here and camping in the valley a bunch of days. He hasn’t seen this water yet. And I think he will agree when he gets here that it is a place is worth the effort and the time.

Looks like another good spot to check out some day…..

Mother nature eroding the surrounding the mountains…..

Avalanche Chutes…..

The west side of the Wyoming Range…..

Today I would start where I stopped yesterday. Let’s gear up and go…..

Yes, this place is beautiful…..

I am still using my Scott Radian 590. Before this summer I would have used my old Sage 590 XP and I still like that rod a lot. If the Scott has one advantage it’s that it has a lighter swing weight. I don’t think it is more accurate, or that it has a better flex, but at the end of a long day, after making thousands of casts, my arm does not feel as fatigued. I am going to get a new Sage X series and compare it to that one, which I have not fished yet. We will see which comes out on top after that. There is one thing for sure my old XP is one of the most accurate rods I have ever cast.

Let’s move upstream and see what happens……

I will primarily using my Chubbys. I am hoping for a higher percentage of landing fish that are hooked. Yesterday, for whatever reason I lost a lot of fish that were on and under pressure. I am thinking that it was just coincidence and Bad Luck. It happens to everybody, even the best of fishermen, every now and then. Let’s see what happens today!

I fished for about 20 minutes without a strike. Then I came to this spot.

What’s not to like? Water being driven into the bank, creating a deeper hole, a soft spot next to the bank, and Shade !!! It took a couple of casts to get my fly to drift right next to that soft water. I saw the fish turn out into the faster water and take the fly. I come tight. The rod has a good bend in it. I see the Cutt pumping away against the current. It’s not a big fish, but he doesn’t know that and he’s testing the breaking strength of tippet and the knots holding everything together. I get him to my side and scoop him up.

Alright,… One for One !
Let’s keep going !

Another great looking spot. The river’s current swinging across the width of the river. Pouring into the opposite bank and creating a deeper slower trough. I start by sending a cast to the middle of the river and the softer inside area full of big rocks.
BINGO !!!

A better fish and another perfect example of why they call these fish Finespots…..

Strong tectonic forced intrusive veins of Quartz to shatter through existing sedimentary rocks….

Bugs, yes we have bugs…..

No wonder these fish are so healthy and strong !

How about sending another cast out, this time closer to the bank and that hole behind that tree leaning out over the river? Again I work up to it. I like to grid out the water and make drifts that will cover each lane hoping something will take it. Finally I’m working the drift next to the bank.
Slurp…..

Three for Three !

Time to move upstream.
This spot was just above the last. Here is where the current started on the left before swinging across the river to the right side and the above spot.

Look at the brush pile on the left. Looks pretty juicy to me !!!
The fly drift past the brush pile, a shadow shoots out from the tangle of branches, grabs the fly and turns back towards it’s lair. I strike and stop it short. He rips the water’s surface into a million pieces, but he’s not making it back to the tangle of branches.
Here’s a better fish !

Who is happy now?

Four for Four !
For what every the reason yesterday was a fluke. Today I was on and not much would change.

I was working this water, when something happened, that made me laugh.

I was casting to the shadows on the right. Just as the fly came into the light, just on the far side of that rock sticking out on the right, a fish came for the Chubby. I started to come tight, and in that second, I saw the Chubby come out of the water. BUT,…. One of the rubber legs was stretched out and leading back to the fish that was still holding on to “ONLY” one of the rubber legs. It lasted only a second or so, probably not even two, but I saw it. The fish had grabbed the fly by it’s rubber leg. It didn’t have the body where the hook was. The rubber leg broke and the fish was gone.

So maybe this was part of my problem yesterday. The fish were grabbing the legs and not the body when pulling it under. I mean I like chicken legs myself, maybe these Cutthroats preferred the legs to the breast themselves. Who Knows? But now I have some answers. OK Four of Five, and it’s still good !
Further up in the shadows another fish takes the 7 Legged Chubby. This one gets stuck and after a invigorating fight,… He’s mine !

Most of these fish would be 13-15″ today…..

I’m loving it! Five of Six !

Six of Seven…..

It’s time for a bankside break…..

A little Jelly and Peanut Butter heaven…..

Also time to check the tippet. It needs replacement…..

Sitting there and enjoying it all. After my last heart attack, one that I should not have survived, but did. Here I am again in God’s Country, catching Snake River Cutthroats, and feeling good. There’s a light breeze and the sun shone down on me and everything around me.
Man It’s good to be alive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s time to get back up on my feet and catch some more Finespots !!!!

And they keep coming…..

One after another…..

God has been good to me.

The sun is headed for the horizon…..

Still time to land a few more…..

Here a fallen tree created several excellent holding spots…..

First in the middle on the outside of that fallen tree. A fish darts out of the branches to pull the fly under…..

Then lower down and from behind…..

Another good one eats the fly with abandon…..

What a fish to end it on !!!
I landed 15 and lost 2, so much better than yesterday. It’s always good to realize, it wasn’t me, it was the fish and the day. We all start to think about our skills as we get older. Time catches up to everyone eventually and takes away our strengths. I may have lost a little, but I still have most of what I started with, and I can convert it into results…..

One last walk back to the truck here…..

One last drive down the valley…..

I stop here and look at the place where it all began.

Here I caught my first Finespot many years ago. Here the river braids and they wind their way across the valley from one side to the other. This is a place that creates these kind of memories. A place that calls to me in my dreams and draws me back into it’s loving arms.

I’ll be coming back as long as I can stand.
It’s not perfect, but what is in this life?
This “IS” about as good as it gets.
And that is good enough for me !

See ya next year Wyoming !!!

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 10, 2020 at 4:42 pm #10205

The Greys River

This is the place I caught my first Snake River Cutthroat. There are mostly good sized Cutthroats and some Browns swimming around in it’s waters. Most of it’s entire length is in a National Forest so public access is good. There are a number of good campgrounds along it’s length. So why don’t you hear that much about the Greys?

I don’t know why, but it makes me happy there are not more people talking about it.

I’ve got 2 days left to fish in Wyoming and with all the good water here, this is the place I decided to spend them. Here’s some of the reasons why……

I wasn’t up that early but I was quickly out the door because I had a long drive to the area I planned to fish. There is some 40 miles of river and like most places, I selected the area far from the pavement. It’s a mantra I learned a long time ago, “The further you are from the pavement the better the fishing gets”. With very few exceptions, it’s excellent advice. I would be driving at least 3/4 the way up Greys Road to reach waters that most casual anglers will not fish because of the time necessary to get there.

I drove down to Alpine and stopped at the Pioneer Fly Shop.

After I selected a few more flys for inventory, I was off driving up FR 10138.

The Little Greys…..

Even though this is a well maintained forest road, trying to average anything above 25mph, is defying the odds of something breaking or flat tires. Not me…..

This is new….. A Runway !!!

One of the Ranches that do reside in this valley….. The Box Y…..
Apparently they’re not hurting for cash…..

So I enjoyed the sights along the way…..

Yeap,… no surprise seeing Cattle grazing up here.

Critical wintering grounds for the Elk and Deer…..

The power of water and ice is ever present…..

One of many avalanche chutes along the valley.

Then I arrive at this spot…..

This is new water for me. I have fished around up here before, but never this stretch…..
Time to pull over and gear up. It’s after 1pm and no time to dally. The late start, the drive to Alpine, too much time spent in the Fly Shop, and then the almost 2 hours driving all the way up the valley have really cut into my fishing time here. Today I’ll be fishing with the Scott Radian 590. I have been fishing this rod a lot on this trip and it is really a nice rod, and that’s coming from a life long Sage devotee. I head down to the river for that first look…..

Looks good doesn’t it? I was spying a bend downstream and I needed to get across here before I could fish it effectively. I made a few casts upstream from this spot just to make sure I would not spook something before crossing. I then crossed and walked down the opposite bank to this spot…..

If no fish were holding here I don’t know what holding water looks like. I using my standard; a #10 my Brown Chubby and made multiple drifts. I had fish come up to look,… but not strike. Maybe it was the size or color. So I tried: #10 Purple, #6Purple, #12 Yellow, #14 Bronze, but all were ignored or refused. There were about 5 different fish I saw come up to look at my presentations, including a rather large Brown Trout. I was determined to work this hole until I caught something. So lets try a Peacock Para X,… Nope, Larger Peacock Para X,…. Nope, Stimulator,…. Nope, Parachute Adams,…. Nope, March Brown,…. Nope, #12 Dark Green Drake,…. And finally a 12″ Cutt ate it…..

Well that took about 30 minutes. I cast that same fly out again, and again, and again….. Nothing else rose.
Boy they’re picky !!!

I’m not sure I figured anything out here. So I decided to use the #10 brown Chubby and the Green Drake as a trailer.
I started up the bank. In the spot just above where I crossed I had another Cutt slashed at the Chubby. This was a better one. I worked downstream to keep the fish above me. It was strong and stayed in the current. I decided to move up so I could apply more side pressure. I was able to start moving the fish towards me and then…..
It pulled free. @#*%#!*…..

Well at least the flys were attracting fish to the top. I kept working up that bank.

The main current was on the far side as were most the holding spots and eddies. About 50′ further up I had another explosive strike. I tried to stay closer to this one and the side pressure had a good effect…..

Here was a survivor ! Just look at those scars on it’s side. I suspect they are from the talons from a Bird of Prey.

If any fish reserves to be released this is the One !

I kept working my combination of Chubby and Green Drake. Another Cutt takes a swipe at the Chubby. I’m hooked up and applying good pressure,…. and this one pulls free too. Bad Luck…..

Again just a few casts later another Cutt attacks the Chubby and again pulls off. This is frustrating !!! I really can’t think of anything I’m doing wrong. It’s not like I’m putting 20lbs of pressure on them or anything, I am not getting a good hookup,… skin hooking them maybe ?!?! I don’t know the why and when these things happen but it’s happening now. And there would be others that pulled off during the day.

Then finally I do get another hookup on the Chubby, and this one stays on…..

I didn’t do anything different, but this one is in the net.

The wind is picking up. I decide to cut off the Green Drake as it making my casts and drifts harder and not attracting any more strikes. Looking at the Chubby, it’s missing a few legs, so I retire it and put on a fresh one at the same time.

Casting and getting the single fly to float exactly where I want it are much easier now.

Somewhere, as the fly is drifting downstream, the line comes tight, and the rod loads up. This guy lazily pulled the fly under without so much an additional ripple on the surface. And this one is putting me through my paces. Between the fish and the water’s velocity, I am doing everything possible just to hang on. He is just swimming in the current up ahead and I dare not put any more pressure on this one for fear of breaking him off. Then as the seconds tick away, he finally is sliding to my side. Will this one pull off also? It’s a good fish!
Patience,… Patience,… Reel down,… Pull the net,… almost,… almost,… almost,… Scoop,…..

What?
It’s a nice fish and all, 16″, maybe 17″, but I would have thought this fish easily 20 or better.
People who say Cutthroats don’t fight, have never fished here for these Finespots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They pull like Mules !!!

Nice and fat, but just not what I expected while holding on to the rod during the fight. Man,… If I do hook something around 20″ I’m wondering how long it will take to land it or even if I can land it?

You can see from the shadows, it’s late in the afternoon.
Storms have moved down the valley, but fortunately not actually rained on me……

Another little guy comes to hand…..

I keep moving looking for good holding spots…..

More average sized Cutts…..

How about over there next to the undercut bank…..

Well that’s better…..

Then I came to this spot.

I really was thinking I would find a fish somewhere lower in the run. Multiple casts on my side and the high bank side brought no strikes. Then there was this slick on the right side. I didn’t think it was deep enough to hold a fish, much less a good one. I was staring straight into the glare on the water. I could not make out much. I placed the first cast close to the current seam,…. Next cast a little further towards the slack water on the right. I couldn’t make out the fly drifting back, but I did see the rise and ringlets from the strike. I came tight. This guy really trashed back and forth in place in the shallow water up there. I thought he might make a run for it but he didn’t. He was just throwing his head this way and that, trying to break the tippet or rub the fly off. Water was splashing everywhere like a small child taking a bath. I hustled upstream, reeling in the line as I went, and pulled my net. This was the best fish of the day. The water was so shallow I really could not get the net underneath him easily to scoop him up, so I placed it over the top of him. I put down the rod and reached through the bag and grabbed the fish. He was mine. I was able to flip everything over so he was now in the bottom of the net.

Boy, this fish was thick ! And the subtle colors on it’s flanks and belly were amazing…..

This is what I came for !!! And again I would have guessed it was bigger while I was fighting him. That seems to be a quality these fish possess. They fight bigger than their actual size. The old saying “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog” seems to have been written for these fish.
Yeap,… these Cutts are AMAZING !!!!!!!!
Man,… the adrenaline was flowing !

I fished up the river a little more…..

But the valley was already shrouded in darkness and I had a long drive still ahead of me.
It was time to get out and walk back to the truck.

I had lots of time to think about the day driving back.

It was a strange day.

I lost way too many fish here. I landed 8, but lost 6. That is not like me !!! And they all were pulling off versus breaking off. These fish, their strength, and the river’s current really messing with my Mojo.
But I had another day. Another day to come back here for another go at them.
Yeap,… I had to come back tomorrow and try and set things straight !

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 10, 2020 at 4:15 pm #10203

New Water

Each year I revisit some of the better waters I’ve found. But no matter how much time I have in a particular area to fish, I always spend some time exploring new water. Even if it means not fishing some good water I found on previous trips. I spend a lot of time each year reading, researching, and looking at google maps when I’m away from the mountains. I still have a couple of dozen places I have yet to fish here within driving range of Afton. Today I would explore one of these creeks that have haunted me from my computer screen.

So I pick my Sage 476 XP for today’s whip.
There is something about a farmer and his dog trailing behind him using these same backroads that strikes home and reminds us we are lucky to be Americans living in this great nation.

This is another small willow bound little creek tucked back into the hills at the end of another gravel road.

That turns into a double track…..

Finally I come to the end of the road and the trailhead to this small Creek.

So I slide out of the truck, grab my boots, check the mole skin guarding the tender spots on my ankles, slip on my socks and lace them up.
Water,…. check
Jelly and Peanutbutter sandwich,…. check
Wading Staff,…. check
Sling on my vest and pick up the XP.

This is about as small as intimate as I’d want to fish, Perfect !!!
I tie on one of my smaller Chubbys and send it out on the wind.

How lucky am I?
There’s no better time to live in than right now and be right here…..

The flows were slight, but enough this year to give this creek some life.

Yeap, this is time well spent…..

I came to this bend and heard a chirping…..

I responded mimicking the chirp…..

This little guy came out of the shadows and seemed happy for the company.
We carried on this conversation as I waded upstream…..

I cast my fly into the riffle at the head of this bend. As it drifted back the current pushed it behind the willow and out of sight. Just as it reappeared on my side, a Brown came out from beneath the willow, grabbed the fly, and disappeared back into the darkness all in a split second. The battle was on, him trying to reach the roots and break me off, and me trying to pull him free and into the light. I won…..
Check out those perfectly aligned red spots….

Yeap, a few Browns thrown in for good measure is a bonus…..

This place is a keeper !….

Another impressive looking piece of water…..

Cast your fly out, it settles on the water with little S Curves in the tippet, watch it float back next to the bank in the shade…..
Then out of what looks to be a sterile bottom, a Cutthroat makes his move, and I make mine…..

Then from behind me,…. I hear my fan shouting his approval…..

Yes Sir,… Thank You very much !!!

Time means very little in places like this. Only the motion of the Sun across the sky reminds me of the day being spent.

And the rewards are the punctuation to my interludes moving upstream.

Then further up in the run, where you’d expect a dominate fish to call home…..

The fly is sent on it’s mission. It drifts back controlled by current which pulls it this way and that. Following the water’s course it drifts past a narrowing bordered by shadows….
A nose pokes through the surface and it’s on !!!
But 4X, a sharp hook, and a forgiving rod handle everything like magic…..

Yes Browns were a bonus here, much like the Salt and Grey’s River.

I come to a Beaver Dam.

This one is completely surrounded by high willows. Sometimes you just have to walk around a spot knowing there are untouched Trout living there.

But soon enough the creek reappears, open and waiting for me…..

A nice Cutthroat comes to hand…..

Followed by another Brown…..

What’s not to like?

I hit another beaver pond, but this one has some room to make a few casts…..

The water’s not clear enough to clearly make out the bottom and the fish that surely live there.
But there is evidence…..

 

The earth spins and the sun crosses the sky…..

I moved well up the valley. I passed 25 some time ago.

This little guy would be my last to hand today…..

It was time to reel up and head back to the truck…..

Some time spent winding through the willows……

And some time crossing open meadows…..

Back at the truck I pulled off my gear. I pull a cold Gatorade from the cooler and it sure goes a long way to cool me down from the inside out. That feels good after another day under the summer sun! This is another fine little creek here in Wyoming that few people will seek out to fish.

And that is fine with me because it is worthy of consideration when I return here in the future.
I have two days left now before turning south and fulfill a promise to fish with Mike and his son.
I’ve been thinking about where I should spend this time.
I decided to fish the Greys.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 2, 2020 at 2:23 pm #10199

I never mentioned the name of the creek openingly. But Chris Johnson pointed out that labeling the file when it’s uploaded to even my computer and then uploading that to photobucket, that original name is imbedded in the code. Since then I only label uploaded files with dates and not names. Lesson learned.

But no, I’ve never run into another person I knew from Texas while fishing there. There have been many other anglers and hunters documenting their trips and openly naming this creek. It has also been the subject of several magazine articles which allow everyone to know the name and how to get there. I do hope CPW will soon put a catch and release management plan in place soon. I have already seen the decline in the Cutthroats over the 12+ years I’ve fished there. It’s being loved to death by an ever increasing amount of pressure.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 1, 2020 at 11:54 am #10195

Finespots

Well Wednesday was rained out. It really came down. I had some time to do the things I’ve been putting off: replace windshield wipers, clean up my ice chests, do a little grocery shopping, and start writing this year’s stories. My phone rang and it was Mike. He drove back into cell coverage to give me a call. He asked if I was coming back to fish with him and his son arriving next Thursday. That would mean extending the vacation 3 or 4 days. I needed to check in with Mom back in San Antonio. She said everything was running smooth and take as much time as I liked. So I called Mike back and said I would meet him next Tuesday.

That gave me another 4 full days fishing here. And I had a good idea where to start. There’s a little creek that I discovered last year. It had nothing but Finespot Cutthroats. It was time to revisit it.

So Thursday I slept in again, temperatures were now firmly in the 30’s in the morning. No need to rise with the sun as it’s too cold then for wet wading. I filled up the truck…..

It’s starting to look a little fuzzy. I bought some block ice for both ice chests, picked up some breakfast and returned to the room.

It doesn’t take long to put things in motion. I headed out with high hopes.
Soon I was traveling down the Forest Roads…..

To get to this little creek meant driving down tracks that got narrow…..

steep and rocky…..

Then breaking out at the bottom, clouds were threatening…..

I still had the 576 stung up and ready to go. Sitting down on my stool and getting ready to pull on my boots, I got a good look at my legs. Every year they get cut up doing this. I will tell you they look like I’ve been running through the briar patch for the entire summer. I have bruises on my ankles and numerous scabs on my shins from busting through the willows and meadows. I will save you from viewing the pictures. Needless to say there will be some new scars.

Well enough of that time to start catching some Cutts !
I walked down the valley a ways before starting upstream. I was going to go even further, but those clouds had me concerned. I started where I did last year at this Beaver Pond.

Just a few casts into the day and…..

First Finespot. These are Snake River Cutthroats, commonly called Finespots. A couple little guys took my flys in this stillwater.

As I was working my way up the bank, I looked down into the shadows of the bank willows, and saw a big fish hiding there. I stuck my rod tip through to drop my fly right over it’s head. The fish took it and dove into the willows root ball at the bottom. That was that. Scratch the first fly of the day.

Let’s get back on track…..

Check the leader, cut out the bad mono, add some more tippet, and another fly…..
Ready !….

Alright, I’ve broken the 12″ barrier…..

I don’t know how many of you recognize these pictures…..

But I remember them like I’ve been here a hundred times.

I was having the time of my life.

Getting back in the groove….

The rain held off and the sun popped out for awhile…..

This is the way I remembered it. And it was unfolding before me again.

It started to sprinkle soon after that and then on and off through out the rest of the afternoon. I put on my Simms jacket.

Almost all the fish hooked were landed…..
It was one of those days…..

This creek is just about perfect…..

Let’s look at some of the water…..

I actually caught fish in every one of the above photos, it was just that good today !

This is “Fishing on a Stream That will Remain Nameless”.
The reason is not because it holds the promise of 20″ Cutthroats.
Sometimes that is not important. Sometimes like they say,…
“It’s more than the sum of it’s parts.”
The Experience transcends the results.
This is one of those places.

The fish were biting and the clouds were getting darker again.

no time to waste. I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves for awhile……

 

I caught three right here…..

1

Yeah, I’m happy…..

2

3

Jaws….

One of the better ones today

I took like 100 picture today. Ususally that means I caught a bunch of fish,.. And I did !….

Last of the Day…..

And just as the heavy rains hit the valley.

I made it back to the truck quickly as it was close.
I threw my stuff in the back and wasted no time heading back up the steep and rocky trail.

Everything went fine and I topped out without incident. Then it was just a matter of driving down the recently graded Forest Roads to the highway and on to Afton.
This creek really shined today. It is one of my favorite places now.
FOASTWRN

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

May 1, 2020 at 11:25 am #10193

Back to the East Side
FOASTWRN

Mike has been texting me saying the Conejos is producing. Of course I know one of the reasons is his son is coming and he wants me there too. I have about a week left here before I head back. Today I would return to the East Side and fish a creek that has produced some really fantastic fishing. But today I have decided to do a little hiking to fish the upper reaches where I’ve never been before. So with several hours drive it was time to get going.

The Snake is looking better today…..

Pointed towards my creek…..

Beautiful little valley…..

Here I’m in the lower valley…..

I still had some driving to do before I reached a spur that lead to the trailhead where I would start.

I finally arrived and it’s kinda spooky. The forest here is dense and dark. I put extra water, lunch, goretex jacket, along with the usual things in my vest for a long day. I decided on my Sage 576LL for my stick and headed down the trail…..

At first the trail went up over a ridge and then started dropping dramatically into my FOASTWRN creek’s valley.
About a mile later I popped out and got my first look up here.

It looks great !!! I hiked down a little ways before starting upstream.

I started with the new yellow Chubby and I caught a nice Brookie right off.

There is one thing for sure, Brookies do not lack for vibrant colors.

I am hoping that today I will find more Cutthroats in the upper valley because the higher they are in the watershed, the more resilient the population. The water looks pristine !!!

Right there behind the bush on the right bank. I’ve got to get a fly in there…..

And it is producing……

I keep my head up, studying the water for holding areas…..
I suspect something is right in the middle of those three dead willows in the middle of the stream…..

It’s also time to try different colors, sizes, and patterns. Maybe I’ll tie on something the Cutts will hit.

Well fish are pulling it under, except they are all Brookies so far. Hope springs eternal….

The clouds are building and it’s about noon…..

Maybe the Cutts will come out and play in the shade…..

Not yet…..

Oh yeah !!!
Looks like perfect habitat for a Cutthroat…..

Just look at the hole behind the willow,… and all that shade

Hummmm…..

I’ve seen a bunch of bear tracks this summer.

Fortunately no face to face encounters !

I am really liking this Sage 576LL. It’s a little gusty today in the valley. The 5wt. really helps cutting through the wind. And the 7 1/2 foot length is perfect for those close in spots that you have to land the attractors right in “There”, and nothing less than that will do. Yeap,… it’s working out fine !

I keep moving upstream hoping for a Cutthroat….

And the Brookies keep getting there first.
Another prime ambush spot…..

Another fish pulls it under…..

At least they are looking healthy…..

The geology here reflects the past…..

It looks like annual deposits in the bottom of a lake made these rocks.
The cobble is brightly colored and a contrast to the Brookie cutting through the water.

My time here is waning. It will take more than an hour just to hike down the valley. Then I had to go back up over the ridge and out the other side to the trailhead where the Escape is parked. A few more runs to cast to…..

Hopes were high at the first sight of this valley.

I caught a bunch of Brookies and most of them were 8-12″. But I didn’t have a single Cutthroat come to hand.
I suspect they are here. I have caught many of them lower in the valley. Maybe it’s the sun? Maybe they would come out at dusk? I just don’t know? Well I may not have caught the big Cutts I was looking for here, but I did have fun with all the decent sized Brookies. And the scenery was gorgeous ! I will try this again another summer. And I bet I will catch some good Cutts up here next time.

Time to head back…..

Working down the trail

Starting back up the slope

After more time than I expected, the truck comes back into view

I drove back to where I normally fish.

Why not give it 15 minutes and see what I can do.

Well there you go. Today the Brookies pitched a shutout.

Time to skidaddle

As I drive out of the national forest the winds really pick up

The storms are racing out of the mountains and across the plains…..

The light is right and rainbows signal the end of the day

I’m headed back to Afton the storms seem to be moving as fast as the truck

I’m glad I’m not underneath that one trying to hike my way back to the truck!

Again I an trying to make heads or tails about these creeks on the East Side. Are they in trouble or are the Cutthroats just hanging on to the bottom waiting for dawn and dusk to feed? I really wish I knew?

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 24, 2020 at 1:44 am #10181

Oops, yes River Rose ! Too many years on the river and a confusion of so many names of sites that have come and gone.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 24, 2020 at 1:43 am #10180

It’s probably the mayflys, Mid to larger sizes, and the caddis are in greatest abundance right now. I am talking from experience over many years. I have not fished since March 15th. But if it’s anything like previous years, now is the time to be on the water. Keep it up, I am really enjoying these posts!

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 23, 2020 at 4:10 pm #10175

The East Side of the Wyoming Range.

So rested and refreshed I was ready to travel around and through the Snake River Gap to revisit one of my favorite Creeks on the east side North Cottonwood. Back when I first started fishing around here, this creek was flush with Cutthroats. The report from local Fly Shops had these creeks in decline. Today I would see for myself.

Headed north and one of the coolest homes in the Star Valley…..

I’m in Real Estate, and this is a 1950’s neo-modern architectural design and quite unusual style for such a rural setting.
The Snake had a glacial green tint to it…..

Turning north and running along the Hoback River valley…..

Further up the valley I could see it was the Hoback running dirty green from recent rains.

This is not surprising to me. If you read my story from last September about fishing here then you remember about the Fire in the upper Hoback. It started September 15th and I saw it a couple days later returning from the east side. I came over Rim Station and could look right down into the upper Hoback. The entire valley was ablaze, rim to rim, it still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck just thinking about it. That fire eventually grew to over 60,000 acres and wasn’t really contained until Mother Nature stepped in with heavy rains in early October.
Here is a picture of the remains of that fire, that closed 191 for awhile…..

Down in the Green River basin they were repairing some bridges which slowed me down awhile.

They used portable signal lights to let you know when to stop and when to go over these spots down to one lane. Clever !!!

Good time for a little snack !!!!

First sight of the Wind River Range…..

Turning west again on Cottonwood/Ryegrass Road you get a couple of miles of pavement.

Then it turns to gravel and it’s 21 miles still to the national forest boundary.

Some rare White Lupins

First good look at the Wyoming Range

Of course it’s Wyoming, high plains and sagebrush, but what’s missing?

Of course,… Antelope !

Well here I am…..

Time to park the truck, gear up, and see what shape the creek is in…..

The water’s a little low, but still looks good….

The first fish is a little Brookie.
I fished for another hour or so and only caught 3 more little Brookies.
Not Good ! It was much like last September here, just Brookies in a creek that used to be full of Cutthroats.

So back to the truck to look for a better spot.

I drove further up the valley towards the headwaters.

I got there and went down to check it out. The water was very shallow. I did not see so much as a hole 2 foot deep for a long time. The only fish I caught were Brookies from 2-4″. Some of which I launched into the willows never to be seen again, barbless you know. Time to leave the basin today. I am not sure if this is unusual or the norm now, but today I caught no Cutts in North Cottonwood.

Good news is there are several other creeks close by. So back to the truck again. This time I drove over to South Cottonwood Creek.

I was trying one of this year’s Chubby’s new colors…..

A nice sized Brookie, but still not my intended target species !
I stuck with my mantra,
“Keep moving and good things will happen !”

More Brookies…..

At least these have some size to them.

I keep moving and I came to this piece of water.

I caught a good Cutthroat right here last year.

Lightning strikes again…..

And a nice fat one at that…..

Another piece with possibilities…..

The Royal Chubby getting it done…..

Well now things over here seem pretty good.

Maybe it was the water, maybe it was just the time of day…..

I cast my fly right where the currents come back together. This guy hammered it !

This guy was just perfect…..

 

Everything is all better now…..

Keep moving, keep casting, stay ready !!!

And another Cutthroat in the net…..

There was weather to the west and headed my way.

Not much time left.

A couple more Brookies rounded out the day.

I had a good 2 1/2 hour drive back to my room and it was time to get going.

Headed west down Cottonwood/Ryegrass…..

I trying to digest today and understand what is happening on the East Side.

Was this just a bad day or wrong time fishing North Cottonwood? Whatever I think Wyoming Fish and Game needs to take a look at this creek and give it the attention it deserves. They done a great job on La Barge Creek restoring the Colorado cutthroats there and maybe it’s time for them to start working on some of the other east slope creeks.

One thing for sure I wanted more time to fish and investigate the other creeks over here. But to do it right I needed weeks, not days to do it. I checked in back home and my yard pass was still good, but I was beginning to feel I may be taking advantage of the situation now. I decided to come back tomorrow and check another creek over here that is FOASTWRN status. It’s another creek where I have landed honest 20″ Cutthroats. I’ll give it a shot and see how it’s faired these last few years.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 23, 2020 at 4:09 pm #10174

Sunday
A day of Rest
Well,… kinda

So my dirty cloths were piling up. My shoulder was still suffering from bursitis…..
Time to do some laundry and kick back !

And most importantly I could watch the NHRA race. Some of you know what a big racing fan I am.
F1, Nascar, Indy Car, Endurance Racing like Le Mans, Motocross, Superbike, Hydroplanes, you name it!
If it goes fast I’ve always been interested. I really miss the Unlimited Planes racing around the pilons at Reno.
Well this weekend the NHRA was at Seattle. John Force is “The Best there ever is going to Be”. And this weekend he did something all his fans have been waiting for him to do. He won his 150th Race !!!! That’s 150 overall races in Funny Car and not just round wins. And there is nobody even close. And there will probably never be any other driver get close to his record. He is still racing and has a competitive car and team. There’s no telling how many more he will win to add to this record. Oh and he has won 16 Championships personally along the way another NHRA record!!!!

God Bless you John Force and I hope you win many more !!!!

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 23, 2020 at 3:37 pm #10171

Rinse and Repeat

So I forgot to drink some Gatorade last night before going to bed. I woke up with cramps in my calves about 3am and they kept me up for some time, before I hydrated enough for them to relax, and me get back to sleep. I woke up about 10:30am. I was slow to get going today after shaking off the night’s grogginess. It was after noon before I was ready to head out. I thought that my scheduled trip to the east side of the Wyoming Range was now too far away. I decided to go back to Day One’s spot and see what kind of number I could rack up.

So I jumped in the truck and headed up the hill. Upon arriving everything looked great and I saw no other fishermen working the water. I opened up the rear hatch and pulled on my wading boots. I looked for my wading belt and staff to grab…..
But where was it?…
Oh my, I had walked into the room last night still wearing them.
I dare not fish without my wading belt and staff to help me along,….
So…..

Back to Afton, grab my belt and staff off the bed where I had left them, then turn around and head back to this creek. Good thing it’s only about 25 minutes one way. So parked on the side of the creek, I grabbed my wading belt with the staff, strapped it on, pulled on my vest, and pulled my beloved 4711 out of the back still strung up.
NOW I’M READY !!!
Let’s get wet !

Like I’ve said before this is a numbers creek…..

Where would you cast your fly ?

Maybe along the bank on the right side ?

How about here ?

If you said on the left bank behind those rocks…

Yeap, they were biting. Most of these fish were on cutbanks or behind big rocks in deep water in the middle.

Again, matching my smaller quarry with a lighter rod makes this game so rewarding…..

What can I add about this place I haven’t already said…..

It’s a place you can casually fish, and have a fabulous time…..

It’s a place that’s on the must fish list everytime I’m fishing out of Afton…..

Here you go with what this creek can offer…..

 

You fill in the blanks…..

 

You liking this ?

 

How about on the inside of this bend ?

Yeap…..

How about along the willows hiding in the shadows ?

After a short battle wrestling the Cutt from beneath those willows,… he’s mine !

Here‘s one of those deeper water in the middle places…..

Fish On…..

This is my kind of relaxation…..

It’s 6pm and time for one last fish…..

The fly drifts back along the left seam and disappears in a little splash…..

That makes 40 ! And today that is enough.

Headed back to Afton I decided doing one more thing before returning to my room.

PIZZA !!!!!!!!!!!!
A large, hand tossed, Italian Sausage, Tomato, Onion, with extra sauce !!!
PERFECT !!!!
Now excuse me while I stuff my face.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Jimbo

April 23, 2020 at 1:30 pm #10169

One of the Best

So if this area has been suffering from drought, I thought it best to keep visiting familiar waters to see what they are like. Today I would visit one of the Best Creeks around. This place is a Big Fish creek, but I’ve also had days landing over 25, so it has the best of the best potential.

It would take several hours to reach this creek, so I did start early. I cruised by the local Burger King for some breakfast and saw something I’ve never seen here before…..

Can you guess what I’m looking at?

The hint,…. Cold air and warm water.
It was in the 30’s this morning and that’s the Salt River with fog hanging over it.

Covering ground with a purpose now…..

The beginning of the Forest Roads…..

Dreaming about all the private lands that I’ll never fish…..

Making tracks…..

The last few yards….

I came to the top of the hill and my usual parking area……
AND…..

A whole lot of company. What is going on?
I looked down into the valley and I could see at least 5 anglers fishing the very area I wanted to start this time.

I looked over at the junction of the creeks and saw at least another 15 vehicles, tents, and pop-ups.

My little piece of paradise is no longer a secret. Well I’m here and the next nearest place is another hour away. This will be a true test of what these waters can produce. Later I ran into some of these anglers and talked to them.
They were from Salt Lake City and this was their third year of coming here. They were both flyfishermen and gear anglers and had been here two days. I asked them about the fishing and they said they’d caught some, but fewer than previous years. This is all starting to make sense to me now. I am running into more and more people here these last few years and the results were showing this increased pressure. This was my ninth year coming here, so I guess I too am a relative newcomer that the old timers would consider as hogging their spot.

I had wanted to try some of that water further down the valley this time, but like I said there were already a bunch of people down there, and I didn’t want to be “that guy” that walked in front of them and fish the water they were headed for,… So…..

I started in the water they were finished with and headed in the opposite direction upstream.

I’ve caught a bunch of good fish in this water before and was hoping for the best.

I stuck to my attractors: chubbys, Peacock ParaX, and hoppers in different sizes and colors.
I have covered a bunch of water and had seen no fish at all. I know those other anglers must have been through this water earlier in the morning. I’m wondering if they hooked a bunch and put the rest down. That’s the way it is sometimes and I was at least the sixth guy through this water this morning. I needed to keep moving and eventually I would be on water that hadn’t seen any anglers for awhile.

I guess I finally reached that point…..

Not exactly what I have come to expect here, but it was a Cutthroat, and I caught him on a dry.
Keep moving and good things can happen…..

Well that’s better.

It was a good stretch before I saw another fish…..

I once caught a 20″+ Cutt here…..

Not this time.

I came upon another angler and talked to him for awhile. He said he had caught some smaller fish on nymphs. He said that noone in his group had caught anything close to 20″ so far and some of the group were dedicated streamer fishermen and some spin fishermen. I told about my past experiences here and the fact I fished only drys. I showed him some of the attractors I used, and he thought they were too big to catch these Cutts. I didn’t want to tell him he was wrong, so I told that I had some smaller flys and maybe I would try them. I asked him if some of his group had fished up the stream that lay ahead of me. Yeap, there were at least a dozen working up since early in the morning. I thanked him and wished him luck.

Great, I’m still fishing behind who knows how many?
Well no time like the present, so I needed to keep moving and looking for some active feeders.

I finally found some…..

I landed a second fish a few moments later…..

It was afternoon now and getting closer to the major feeding times by the Solar/Lunar Charts.

This is another spot where I caught a 20″er. I also lost a fish here that would have been about 24″ years ago. I worked the tailout where it comes away from the willow bank first. After that I made some casts along the cutbank without a strike. Then about half way to the drop and turn, there’s a hole on the softer inside water. I made a good first cast and the fly disappeared. I was glad I was using the Scott 5wt. The fish pulled hard. I was surprised when I first saw it. I thought it was bigger. After a few tense moments I had it in the net…..

The best one so far…..

At the top of the drop another……

A pretty fish…..

Moving up into the next run.

There are several big rocks and holes on the far side in this run…..

And there were fish ready willing and able.

A second fish here and I am starting to feel better about the day.

I was getting closer to the top of the valley and still had not seen the big group of anglers fishing ahead of me.

Another little guy…..

As I moved up around the bend I heard some voices.

There they were.

It was about 5pm now. If there were a dozen anglers in this group there was no getting around them. Well I landed a dozen with the largest at least 16″. A little below expectations for an average day here. But with so many others here pounding the water I thought I actually did fine.

This is cattlemen country and they had their own way of claiming it as their own.

It’s a good stretch of the legs back to where I parked the truck.
I went past the camp of all those guys from Utah…..

Here’s one of the reasons I don’t drive down to the lower meadow…..

Maybe next time there will be fewer anglers sharing this water…..

I guess I got spoiled by all the days I did have this creek all to myself.
And those were some of the best days when I crushed it.
Unfortunately I can’t count on that anymore.

The long road back to town…..

I guess I need to get used to more company. I also need to keep pushing the limits and explore more water. I need to keep pushing further into the backcountry to find those new fabulous spots.

Something to think about.

Jimbo

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